MAP09: Deep Down Below (Requiem)

MAP09: Deep Down Below is the ninth map of Requiem. It was designed by Matthias Worch, and uses the music track "The Helix" by David "Tolwyn" Shaw. It is a modified version of The Troopers' Playground MAP06.

Description
According to both the text file and the Requiem info pack:


 * 'This is the (slightly modified) Map06 from "The Troopers' Playground". Completely indoor with a metal/tech theme. The DM part is taken from TTPDEATH. To find out more about the whole TTP episode visit my homepage at www.geocities.com/Hollywood/7766.

The link provided no longer functions.

Essentials
Open the door at the start and head through the hall to the right. In the next room are two demons and a switch, press it to reveal a switch in the previous room. Flip this one to open a cove to your left, with some zombies inside. There are two switches you need to hit inside this cramped area, one of which raises stairs to the raised wall, and the other one opens up that wall. Be careful of the crusher after pressing the latter switch, and return to the room to find the raised wall open. Go up to it and a switch will appear, flip it to create a large staircase going upwards. Head through there to the next room, opening the next door to find a fork where you can go straight or right. Start by going straight to the next door first, to find an area with a nukage canal. Do not drop in yet, first, head south and follow the path until a wall lowers for you. Flip the switch at the end of the wall and this will create a bridge across the canal. Cross the bridge and take the path around to find the yellow skull key. Grab it and bars will close behind you while a passage opens in front. Through this passage is another big room where two barons of Hell will attack you when you drop down. Flip the switch here to open a wall with a couple of mancubi and another switch. Flip this one to raise some stairs back, and then flip the nearby switch to open the bars so you can leave the place (Note: On the way back, do not step on the same pedestal the yellow key was on, as you may be trapped as outlined in the "Bugs" section). Now return to the fork and go east this time, then you will find another fork.

At this fork, go left first, into the next room and up the stairs. Open the door, and approach the metal column for it to reveal the blue skull key. There will be some monsters upon grabbing the key, so get rid of them. Make sure not to touch every side of the blue key platform before the door closes, or you may not be able leave the room (again, outlined in the "Bugs" section). Backtrack to the fork and head the other way this time. You will find a big room with a super shotgun in the middle, as well as a switch for the red key and two doors for the yellow and blue keys. Take the blue door going eastward, following this path up and left till you reach a switch. Press this and go back a bit to find some stairs leading upwards to the sides. Head left, and go in the side rooms if you want (you can get two secrets from them), otherwise continue across a bridge to find three lifts. Take the right one if you want a rocket launcher, and take the furthest left one to get some health bonuses. Otherwise take the nearest lift on the left, then maneuver across the ledge past the red switch to the yellow door.

Open the door and head down the path till you see the red key. Press the nearby switch on the wall to raise a bridge to it, but approaching the key causes a switch to close it up. Hit this switch to raise a bridge on your left. Head across this bridge to reveal a passage behind the red key, where the next switch will raise another bridge to reach the key as well as cause a cacodemon or two to teleport in. Unfortunately, this one also closes, so hit the switch to reveal a passage behind you with some demons. In the next area, some platforms will raise up to the next switch. Kill the monsters in the cages before crossing, then hit the switch and you will be able to return to where you pressed the first switch. A new opening to the key is available, but once again it will close, so hit the switch that closes it to reveal a monster closet behind you and a switch back on the main platform. This switch opens up the switch that barricaded you from getting the key originally, so now you can grab the red key. A chaingunner appears directly ahead when you grab it, and some demons may attack from the hallway. Return to the big room and walk to the red switch on the ledge and press it, revealing a baron of Hell or two on the pentagram and the exit switch.

Other points of interest
When approaching the red skullkey, a lion switch stone will appear to block immediate access, but you can actually walk around it on the right, if you stay on the thin ledge.

Secrets

 * 1) Once you open the northwest side of the starting room, return to where you found the first skull switch in the green brick room north of it to find a megasphere. (sector 351) Note that once you get on the raised platform and step on the first diagonal step leading to the switch raising the winding staircase, you will be unable to access this secret.
 * 2) At the nukage ravine you must cross to reach the yellow key, jump into the ravine and travel through the sewage tunnel until you encounter a large, metal room.  Head through either tunnel at the south, and head east until you find a teleporter.  At the east of this area is a set of metal paneling.  Open it to find a soul sphere. (sector 418)
 * 3) At the back of the alcove that opens when you grab the blue key is a portion of wall covered in some grime.  Open it to access an enemy pillbox and find security armor. (sector 15)
 * 4) After climbing the west staircase in the southeast computer room, ascend the next staircase you see, and look south to find a misaligned computer panel.  Push it to find a medikit and three sets of shells. (sector 289)
 * 5) In the computer room behind the silver door northeast of where you find secret #4, you can open the northwest corner of the room to find stairs leading to another hidden door, behind of which you can obtain two medikits. (sector 214)

Bugs
If the player enters the blue skull key platform from all four sides while the nearby door is still open from entering and then stays in the room until the door closes, he will become trapped in the blue skull key room forever, unless he uses the noclip cheat.

If the player enters the yellow skull key cage from one, two or three sides, activates the switch to the south which opens four metal bars allowing to get out, then enters the yellow skull key cage from the remaining side(s) closing the bars again, he will become trapped in the yellow skull key area forever.

34% items is the maximum amount of items possible on this map as the majority of them are in the inaccessible deathmatch portion of the map. These include 15 armor bonuses, 10 health bonuses, two berserk packs, and a soul sphere.

Current Compet-n records
The Compet-n records for the map are:

The data was last verified in its entirety on July 6, 2020.

Current DSDA records
The records for the map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

The data was last verified in its entirety on April 16, 2023.

Deathmatch
This level includes its own, separate deathmatch arena.

Player spawns
This arena contains five spawn points:
 * 1) facing south. (thing 360)
 * 2) facing north. (thing 361)
 * 3) facing north. (thing 362)
 * 4) facing north. (thing 387)
 * 5) facing north. (thing 397)

Things
The following things (per skill level) are placed in the arena:

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level: